Iranian Newspapers Criticize Asghar Farhadi For Political Oscar Win

Two Iranian “hard-line newspapers” have criticized Asghar Farhadi’s Best Foreign Film Oscar win, claiming that “politics” is the real reason “The Salesman” won the award.

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Farhadi, along with others involved in the making of the winning film, chose to boycott the 89th annual Academy Awards in protest of President Trump’s executive order banning citizens from seven Middle-Eastern countries, including Iran.

The Keyhan Daily claimed Tuesday that Trump’s executive order played a role in “The Salesman” winning the award. The Javan Daily took that notion even further saying “Farhadi owes Donald Trump and the Democrats’ media propaganda for his second Oscar.” The Javan Daily argued that the Academy Award was an individual achievement through politics rather than an achievement for Iranian cinema, according to the Associated Press.

Although Farhadi wasn’t in attendance to accept the award, he had someone accept it on his behalf and read a politically charged speech that “The Salesman” director wrote himself.

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The Javan is is “considered close to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and hard-liners who have disapproved of Farhadi’s art–and the speech delivered in his name at the Oscars,” according to the Associated Press.

The award for Best Foreign Film was Farhadi’s second Academy Award win.